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Club Focus - Sunderland - Season of unrealized potential ends with Black Cats horror show
Sunderland finished a mixed bag of a Premier League campaign with a dismal second-half performance at Molineux. It was a showing that epitomized many of the problems the Black Cats have encountered this season, not least their inability to play away from home.
It was a disappointed and tired end to a year that has brought a lot to cheer about but in which the Wearside club has frustrated supporters regularly due to their lacklustre away showings. Despite going into an early lead the Black Cats were soon pegged back and the second-half was a disaster, with the away side conceding a second and seeing two players sent off. The first was Michael Turner for two late challenges followed by Jack Colback on his Premier League debut. After the game Steve Bruce, again, stated that his side’s away form must improve and that this is very much the chain around the neck, preventing his team from making progress: “We’re looking at all sorts to try and improve and I’m looking at myself too. It’s my job to get results away from home and there is a fine balance. I will be putting together a plan to try and improve that.”
The Mackems triumphed during their first away trip of the season against Bolton Wanderers but it was not until they relegated Hull City in their penultimate away game that victory was tasted on the road again. Apart from their trip to Old Trafford - during which they were seconds from coming home with a famous win - there was little to shout about away from the Stadium of Light. Wretched form on the road was not the only factor putting a dent in Sunderland’s early season European aspirations however, as their home form also dipped alarmingly. After their defeat of Arsenal in November, Sunderland did not win in the league again until March’s 4-0 win over Bolton in a rearranged home fixture. These results straddled a whopping fifteen game run without a league win, a dismal period that effectively crippled their hopes for the season. The energy drained out of their play alongside their early season confidence and this run included two desperate 0-0 home draws with Fulham and Stoke City, two of the worst games this writer has seen anywhere this season.
Yet it was not all doom and gloom. At the beginning and at the end of the campaign, Sunderland played some scintillating football at the Stadium of Light, beating both Arsenal and Liverpool convincingly - albeit in one bizarre case with the help of a beach ball - in games that brought back memories of the height of the Peter Reid era. The side also showed real character at times, particularly during a spirited ten-man fight back in an exciting 2-2 home draw against West Ham. As they found their form towards the end of the season, they took apart Tottenham Hotspur in one of the best games seen at the Stadium of Light, a memorable 3-1 victory in which a central midfield comprising of two kids brought up from the academy comprehensively outplayed a midfield that will be contesting next season’s Champion’s League. That the fruits of the Academy of Light were beginning to be seen was another factor to encourage supporters. David Meyler and Jordan Henderson impressed in midfield and Jack Colback also found his way into the first team, albeit briefly. Another product of the youth system, Martin Waghorn, has also shown real promise, helping Leicester City into the Championship play-offs. Steve Bruce has made some excellent signings with Lorik Cana, Lee Cattermole, Michael Turner and, if he can sign him permanently, Alan Hutton, joining the likes of Craig Gordon, Steed Malbranque and Kenwyne Jones in an ever improving squad. The last word however, must go to Darren Bent. After tweeting his way into the hearts of Sunderland supporters, joining from Spurs last summer, the former Charlton Athletic man never looked back, netting 24 league goals of immeasurable value, winning the club’s Player of the Year award and, last but not least, making a serious bid for a place in Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad.
All in all this campaign has seen the club progress to mid-table obscurity, albeit with more than a hitch or two. With the right investment during the summer, and if Bruce can do something about his team’s desperate away form, then all the potential is there for a push towards a European place next season.
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